Antanas Juozapavičius (13 February 1894 – 13 February 1919) was the first officer of the Army of the
Republic of Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
to die while fighting in the
Lithuanian Wars of Independence
The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles (), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Bermontians (October ...
.
Biography
Antanas Juozapavičius was born to Juozapas Juozapavičius and his wife Marijona Juozapavičienė. He was born in the small Švakštonys manor, which the parents were renting. As farming was financially unsuccessful, the family moved to Riga, where Juozapas Juozapavičius worked as a wagoner.
In 1902, Antanas Juozapavičius started going to school in
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
, and from 1905 to , although he was thrown out of school in sixth grade for the spreading of Lithuanian ideas. In
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
, he educated to become a pharmacist, and from 1914 onwards worked as such in the pharmacies of Riga and Tartu.
World War I
Juozapavičius enlisted as a volunteer of the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
in 1915. After a few months, he was sent to the Moscow military school, graduating as a ''
praporshchik
(, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...
'', after which he was assigned to the in
Tver
Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population:
The city is ...
. In 1916, he completed the machine gunner's school in
Gatchina
Gatchina (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was pr ...
and promptly returned to his regiment.
In the ranks of the
Latvian Riflemen
The Latvian Riflemen (; ) were originally a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army assembled starting 1915 in Latvia in order to defend Baltic governorates against the German Empire in World War I. Initially, the battalions were forme ...
In the end of 1916, on his request, he transferred to the ,
as he knew Latvian. He was injured during the
Christmas Battles
The Christmas Battles (; ; ) were offensive operations conducted by the Imperial Russian Army and Latvian Riflemen during World War I in the area of Jelgava, Latvia, by the Russian 12th Army of the Northern Front. The operation took place from ...
and subsequently treated in
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
. He was awarded the 4th class of the
Order of Saint Anna
The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...
.
After the
February Revolution
The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...
In June 1917, he was active in the committee for the organisation of Lithuanian military units in Smolensk.
On 26 November 1917, he was the commander of the 4th company of the Special Lithuanian Battalion and temporarily the commander of the , which was disbanded on 15 March 1918.
Lithuanian Wars of Independence
Juozapavičius returned to Lithuania in June 1918. On 24 November 1918, he became an
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
of the country's Defence Minister
Augustinas Voldemaras
Augustinas Voldemaras (16 April 1883 – 16 May 1942) was a Lithuanian nationalist political figure. He briefly served as the country's first prime minister in 1918 and continued serving as the minister of foreign affairs until 1920, representing ...
. Later he was assigned to the
1st Infantry Regiment, which was moved from
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
to
Alytus
Alytus () is a city with Town privileges, municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, sixth-largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, 14th-largest city in the Baltic ...
on 18 December 1918. When
Jonas Galvydis-Bykauskas
Jonas Galvydis-Bykauskas (15 December 1864 – 16 July 1943) was a Lithuanian general who served in the Imperial Russian Army and the Lithuanian Army. He was the Chief of Defence (Lithuania), supreme commander of the Lithuanian Army from 9 April ...
and
Kazys Ladiga
Kazys Ladiga or Ladyga (6 January 1894 – 19 December 1941) was a Lithuanian general and one of the first volunteer officers of the Lithuanian Army.
Upon graduating from the Military Academy in Vilnius, Ladiga served in the Imperial Russian Arm ...
, who disapproved of the former's leadership, were removed from the regiment, Juozapavičius was made the temporary regimental commander on 4 February 1919.
Death
Juozapavičius was wounded on the bridge of Alytus during the Battle of Alytus on his 25th birthday, when the regiment had to retreat for fear of encirclement, as the neighbouring allied German soldiers unexpectedly retreated.
However, Lithuanians quickly retook control of Alytus.
Burial
He was buried on 14 February 1919 in the churchyard of . On 28 April 1919, he was ceremoniously reburied in the cemetery of Alytus, next to the .
References
Further reading
* Petras Biržys. Karininkas Antanas Juozapavičius, 1923 m.
* Karolis Dineika. Lietuvos karžygys Antanas Juozapavičius, 1926 m.
* Karininkas Antanas Juozapavičius, 1894 02 13 – 1919 02 13 (sud. Jonas Aničas). – 2-asis papild. ir patais. leid. – Vilnius: LR krašto apsaugos ministerija, 2004. – 124 p.: iliustr. –
* https://luksas.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/karininkas-tapes-legenda/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juozapavicius, Antanas
1894 births
1919 deaths
Lithuanian Army officers
Latvian Riflemen
Lithuanian military personnel in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I
Military personnel killed in action